Memorandum from Superintendent of Schools Deborah Low on Weather Conditions & School Cancellations, Delayed Openings, or Early Dismissals
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- Details
- Category: Education
- Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 January 2012 15:42
- Written by Terri Garlick
Here is a Memorandum from Superintendent of Schools Deborah Low on Weather Conditions & School Cancellations, Delayed Openings, or Early Dismissals:
The primary consideration in the decision to close, dismiss early, or delay the opening of school is the safety of our students on buses. Another factor taken into consideration are the road conditions for staff members driving from out of town.
The decision to close, dismiss early, or delay the opening of school is based on a combination of known and forecasted conditions. The process begins with monitoring weather reports, usually beginning the day or night before and continuing into the early morning. We subscribe to a weather forecast service that provides as up-to-date information as possible. Another part of the decision is to confer with the Ridgefield highway department between 4:30 AM and 5:00 AM regarding local road conditions and the schedule necessary to make the roads safe for bus and car traffic. In addition, road and weather conditions are discussed with other area school superintendents. The goal is to make the decision by 5:30AM.
Please understand that the decision is made based on current conditions combined with the best estimates of what will happen in the next four to twelve hours.
Road conditions are obviously a critical factor when making the decision and it is a difficult determination even when considering experienced car and bus drivers. Therefore, for high school drivers, please use your judgment as parents about whether your son/daughter should drive in inclement weather. If there is any doubt, please have them take the bus.
DELAYED OPENINGS A decision to delay the opening of school will result in a 2-HOUR delay. The start times resulting
from a delayed opening are as follows: Ridgefield High School: 9:25 AM Middle Schools: 10:00 AM Elementary Schools:
BES, RES, SES: 10:35 AM BMES (full-day PreK), FES, VPES: 11:10 AM; No AM PreK PM PreK starts at regular time.
(see reverse side)SCHOOL CANCELLATION
Depending on weather, road, and forecast conditions, it may be necessary to CANCEL school for safety reasons. Each snow day adds one day to the end of the year. Should an excessive number of snow days be used, there may be a need to reduce the length of the April vacation.
EARLY DISMISSAL
A decision to dismiss school early will result in the following schedule: Ridgefield High School: 10:55 AM Middle Schools: 11:30 AM Elementary Schools:
BES, RES, SES: 12:05 PM BMES, FES, VPES: 12:40 PM AM Preschoolers will be dismissed at their normal dismissal time of 11:56 AM. PM Preschool sessions are cancelled.
In the event that such an early release is necessary, each family should have a plan that their children thoroughly understand. Please review your family’s plan with your children and designated caretakers.
Please be aware that quickly deteriorating weather conditions MAY cause early dismissal times to be moved 15-30 minutes earlier.
POSTINGS
We will post our closing, delayed opening, or early dismissal information on the opening page of the school district’s website at www.ridgefield.org and on www.ctweather.com as well as the following media outlets:
Television: Channel 3 (WFSB) Channel 8 (WTNH) Channel 30 (WVIT) Radio: 800 AM / 98.3 FM – WLAD 880 AM – WCBS 100.5 FM – WRCH l08 FM – WEBE
Superintendent E-Mail Service: requires registration, please register at www.ridgefield.org; click on Communication tab, then to eAlerts & subscribe to Superintendent’s Message
Early Dismissal ONLY: ConnectED (phone) notification
Sometimes there are technical difficulties with websites, email, or the media. If in doubt, please check multiple sources.
CONCERTS, ATHLETICS, ALL SPECIAL EVENTS AND AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITES
Early Dismissal and Full Closure – All school events are cancelled. However, the Principal and Athletic Director may request, in exceptional circumstances, that certain events continue as scheduled. In such cases, an announcement will be made that specific events will go forward via the school’s website.
PREDICTION
Although I can’t predict the weather perfectly, I will predict that whatever decision I make, some people won’t agree with it. So, in advance, thank you for understanding that the decision is based on the information available at the time with student safety as the primary concern.
